Universal timer



June 17, 1941. WERNER 2,245,842

UNIVERSAL TIMER Filed Nov. 14, 1938 INVENTOR.

Patented June 17, 1941 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFIQE UNIVERSAL TIMEREdward H. Werner, Elmhurst, Ill.

Application November 14, 1938, Serial No. 240,284

7 Claims.

This invention relates in general toa universal timing device for use inconnection with ordinary watches or clocks for indicating the time atany other place in relation to the time at any geographical location forwhich the disc is set.

An important object of the invention is in the provision of a timingdisc which may be variably applied to any ordinary watch or clockdepending upon the longitudinal position thereof.

A further object of the invention is in the provision of a timing discadapted to be attached to and rotatable with the hour hand of a twelvehour clock for indicating the time throughout the world of othergeographical locations withrespect to a full day of twenty-four hours.

A still further object of the invention is in the provision of a timingdisc for attachment to twelve-hour clocks which is graduated to indicatethe relative longitudinal positions upon the geographical map in reverseorder.

A still further object of the invention is in the provision of a reversegeographical order upon a timing disc representing one half ofthenorthern hemisphere upon an entire circle of three hundred sixtydegrees. 7

A still further object of the invention is in the provision of a timingdisc for twelve-hour clocks in which there are two separate graduationsof one hundred eighty divisions arranged in reverse order, withgeographical representations relating to each of the reverse graduationsand located I at opposite distances upon the earth, approximately twelvehours time or one hundred eighty degrees apart.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear in thisapplication, the accompanying drawing illustrating a timer in accordancewith this invention in which Fig. 1 represents a timer as applied to anordinary twelve hour clock having hour and minute hands rotatable overthe ordinary dial and with the timing disc attached to the hour hand forthe location corresponding approximately to the longitude of Chicago,Illinois; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a timing disc as shown in Fig. l with moregeographical detail.

In considering foreign business and particularly in quickly determiningthe time at any other geographical location for radio purposes, it isdesirable to provide means for showing the correct time at any othergeographical position as it relates to the time at the place where theclock and timing disc are located. The present device provides a timingdisc which is quickly and easily attached to any hour hand of a twelvehour clock, l

and extremely light and simple in construction but mathematicallycorrect, which cannot get out of order and is of scientific andeducational value.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, a timing disc 4, preferablyin the form of a circle, is

provided with a central opening 5 and is usually made in various sizesso that it may be applied to the 'face of a watch, clock or other twelvehour timepiece, about the center thereof, leaving the numeralsindicating the hours, and the minute graduations free and uncoveredaround the edge.

This disc may be of light metal such as aluminum, printed on one side ora thin printed sheet may be attachedto the metal disc for stififness, toprevent warping, and so that it is not affected by heat or moisture.This disc may be made in various sizes preferably at twelve, remove theminute hand of the clock, apply adhesive such as shellac, glue, or anyother material, to the hour hand; slip the disc over the shaft andlocate it so that the hour hand is pointing and in line with thegeographical location of the place in which the clock is used (inChicago, at approximately 88 degrees west longitude) press the discfirmly in place against the hour hand, let it dry, and then replace theminute hand.

The above procedure is not necessary when the discs are mounted in thefactory or incorporated as a part of the hour hand, but if applied atthe factory the location of the hand on the dial should be varied inaccordance with the locality in which the timepieces are to be used.

This universal timer disc comprises a novel construction, arrangementand representation of the geographical map of a part of the northernhemisphere, the construction of which is based upon the followingprinciples:

1. That a geometrical, geographical, or astronomical semi-circle of 180degrees is equal or may be referred to a circle of 360 degrees inrelation to the present twelve hour timepiece, the dial of which beingthe circle of 360 degrees is divided into twelve segments of thirtydegrees each; each of thesesegments represents one full hour whichisequal to sixty minutes, four of which are equal to one astronomicaldegree or to one degree of any circle; two rotations of the hour hand ofthe clock are necessary for recording the full time of each day.

2. A geographical map is drawin in inverted or reverse order, thatis,'the east extending to the west, and the west toward the eastrespectively.

3. The construction is based upon the combined application of principles1 and 2 as they relate to the clockwise rotation of the disc whenapplied to the hour hand of a timepiece and to the actual rotation ofthe earth on its axis from west to east around the sun.

The universal timer as shown more clearly by Fig. 2 and in accordancewith the above principles comprises a drawing in outline of the westernpart of the northern hemisphere embracing 180 geographical degrees asspread out in reverse on a circle of 360 degrees, this map or outlineappearing as if looking from the center of the earth toward the NorthPole but in compliance of the above principle 1 that one geographicaldegree equals two degrees on the map, and in compliance with principle 2that the map is drawn in reverse, that is, that the west side of thecontinent or Los Angeles, is at the right or eastern side, and the eastside of the continent or Boston, is at the left or western side ofthe'map as viewed from above. This map is printed with some principalcities in accordance with their, reversed geographical locations, theirlongitudes being placed relatively to their respective degrees as markedin the outermost circle ll of such degrees which extend from left toright as marked in tens of degrees in that circle, which it will beobserved is in the reverse direction marked West of G (Greenwich)therefore correspond to the location of the cities marked on the map.the circle being divided in 180 degrees.

Within and spaced from the outer circle. H is an inner circle l2 dividedinto 180 divisions or degrees of longitude marked East of G extending inclockwise direction and having one division thereof equal to two degreesof a circle marked in tens of degrees of longitude from zero to 180.Between the two circles H1 and II is a circle l3 showing geographicallongitudes of cities east of Greenwich also in a clockwise direction andarranged in such a manner that their respective capital letters areapproximately in line with their respective geographical longitudes asclosely as the drawing permits. The outermost circle I I represents adivision of the western hemisphere of 180 degrees west of Greenwich butin a counter-clockwise or reverse direction showing the geographicallongitude of the cities marked within the disc as correctly as possible.

It will be noticed that the degrees of eastern hemisphere in the innercircle 12 are located above the degrees of the western hemisphere andthat their sum is equalto 180 degrees at all locations, which representsan actual separation of 180 degrees of the earths longitude or thetwelve hours difference in time due to the exact opposite position ofthe sun at the other side of the globe. Thus when at the Shanghailongitude, 120 degrees east of Greenwich, it is exactly twelve oclock atnoon it must be midnight at Buenos Aires, shown in the outer circle I!of which the geographical longitude is about 60 degrees west ofGreenwich, both cities being on different hemispheres. This illustratesthe fact that the degrees as shown in the divisional circles I I and I2opposing and one within the other are'complementary and the number ofdegrees will always make a total of 180. This applies to allgeographical locations. In applying this universal timer to Chicago'sgeographical longitude of about 88 degrees west of Greenwich, the hourhand of a clock is aifixed to the dial corresponding to the 88graduation in the outer circle II, which indicates the cities west ofGreenwich and as the hour hand of the clock rotates, the relationship oftime at all places all over the world can be easily and quicklydetermined by simply locating the city or the approximate geographicallocation indicated upon the disc and 'then referring the position ofthat city to the time designation opposite to and corresponding to it onthe face of the clock. The same disc will correctly designate andindicate the time for any other location if the hour hand is set at thelongitudinal position of the city as it relates to the disc. Thus if thetime in Chicago is 10 am. then directlyopposite on the dial will beobserved that the time in London is designated at 4 p.m., Honolulu is 5a.m., Sitka 7 am. The middle circle I3 indicates Warsaw 5:30 p.m Samara7 pin, etc. Similarly in any location of the hour hand the correspondingtime for any of the cities noted on the disc can be quickly andaccurately determined from a reference to the disc and the timeindications on the clock dial.

Thus this simple timer when applied to a timepiece may be used todetermine the time at any other distant city corresponding to the timeat the location of the clock if it is secured to the disc at the properlongitudinal and geographical designation. The same disc is thereforeapplicable for any clock and for any location; it may be used upon oldclocks or may be incorporated as a part of new ones; it may be appliedto small or large timepieces in connection with radio cabinets forindicating the time at far distant cities, thereby providing means fordetermining what programs may be broadcast from such cities at thattime. Various other trade and commercial advantages are apparent fromthe use of this timer.

What I claim is:

1. A rotatable universal timer disc for twelvehour clocks, comprisingradial graduations and geographical designations including a map ofdegrees spread to extend over the entire circle of 360 degrees.

2. In a, rotatable timer disc for twelve-hour clocks, a maprepresentation of a portion of a hemisphere in which the outline of theland is in reverse to its normal appearance so that the west sidethereof is disposed at the east, and the east at the west and showing onsuch a map.

3. In a universal timer disc for twelve-hour clocks, a geographicalrepresentation of half of the northern hemisphere extended to cover afull circle and the outline indicating the land being reversed from itsnormal location and appearance so that the west side thereof is disposedat the east, and the east at the west.

4. In a universal timer for timepieces, a circular disc with a centralopening adapting it to be inserted over a central bearing for the handsof the timepiece and attached to rotate with the hour hand, the dischaving geographical designations and radial graduations including a mapreversed in direction so that the west side thereof is disposed at theeast, and the east at the west but corresponding to the graduations, sothat an hour hand may be attached to the disc at the graduationdesignating any longitudinal geographical position.

5. in a universal clock-timer disc, radial graduations and a map relatedthereto in which the map is drawn to a scale in which one actualgeographical degree is shown as two angular degrees on the disc, the mapbeing reversed so that the actual west side thereof is disposed at theeast and the east at the west side, and the cities on the mapbeingangularly related in accordance with such reversal.

6. In a universal clock timer, a disc applicable to the hour hand of aclock, comprising a central map in reversed order so that the west sidethereof is disposed at the east, and the east at the west and radialgraduations with two outer circles marked oppositely with 10s from 0 to180, indicating the longitude of cities having geographical locationseast and west of Greenwich, the totals of corresponding numbers of thetwo circles always being 180, thus indicating that the time of I thecities corresponding thereto is twelve hours EDWARD H. WERNER.

